Infrastructure

DT Midstream Reaches Early Mechanical Completion of LEAP Phase 2 Expansion

(P&GJ) — DT Midstream Inc. has reached early mechanical completion of its Phase 2 LEAP Gathering Lateral Pipeline expansion. The 400 MMcf/d expansion is now expected to be available for firm service on January 1, 2024.

Exxon Outlines $27 Billion Annual Project Spending; Golden Pass LNG Plant Set for 2025 Start-Up

Exxon Mobil will target annual project spending of between $22 billion and $27 billion through 2027, the oil major said in an update on Wednesday that largely continues existing spending and production goals.

U.S. Coast Guard Finds Sheen Near Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it found a light sheen west of an area in the Gulf of Mexico where it was leading the clean-up of a million-gallon (liters) oil spill for nearly three weeks but could not confirm if the sheen was from that spill.

Implementing the New Pipeline Security Directive

(P&GJ) — The digital era has ushered in unprecedented opportunities and new vulnerabilities that can create ripple effects across our nation’s critical infrastructure. Nowhere is this more evident than in our essential pipeline systems.

NGL Energy Partners Launches Open Season for 550-Mile Grand Mesa Crude Pipeline

(P&GJ) — Grand Mesa provides takeaway capacity for crude oil producers in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. It originates in Weld County, Colorado, and extends approximately 550 miles southeast to NGL Crude Cushing’s storage terminal at Cushing, Oklahoma.

Shell Shortlists CNOOC and Vitol for Singapore Assets Sale

Shell has shortlisted at least four companies including state-run China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) and top global energy trader Vitol as bidders for its Singapore refinery assets, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Venture Global LNG Expects Extended Start-Up at Second Plant, Says CEO

A Venture Global LNG export plant due to begin operating in 2024 will undergo a lengthy startup similar to its Calcasieu Pass LNG facility, with customers likely to receive their first cargoes in 2026 at the earliest, CEO Mike Sabel told Reuters.

Republican States Challenge EPA's Pipeline Veto Power Expansion in Federal Lawsuit

A group of 11 Republican-led states and energy industry groups have challenged a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that bolsters state and tribal veto power over pipelines and other major infrastructure projects that might pollute rivers and streams.

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Faces Further Delays, Posing Financial Challenges for Canadian Oil Producers

Canadian oil producers are bracing for further potential delays to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) that could cost them millions of dollars in lost revenues in coming months after they ramped up production ready to fill the expanded line, meant to unlock access to Asia.

Kinder Morgan Forecasts 11% Profit Increase for 2024 on Growing Demand

Kinder Morgan on Monday forecast higher 2024 earnings as the U.S. pipeline operator bets on increased demand for transporting crude oil and gas liquids.

Petroecuador Exceeds 400,000 bpd Crude Oil Output; Addresses Oil Spill in Shushufindi River

Ecuador's state oil company Petroecuador said Sunday that crude oil output surpassed 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) for the first time since January 2021.

Michigan Regulators Approve Enbridge Great Lakes Tunnel for Oil Pipeline

Michigan regulators on Friday approved Canadian pipeline company Enbridge's application to build a tunnel under the Great Lakes to house its aging Line 5 oil pipeline, a major step forward for the $750 million project.

Mountain Valley Pipeline Owner Equitrans Considering Asset Sale

While there is no certainty that the company would decide to proceed with the sale, it would likely attract interest if it were to launch a sale process in early 2024, coinciding with the expected completion of the Mountain Valley pipeline.

Williams Becomes Third Largest DJ Basin Gatherer with Cureton Front Range, RMM Acquisitions

(PGJ) — Williams secures the third-largest DJ Basin gathering position by acquiring Cureton Front Range LLC, including gas gathering pipelines and two processing plants, and 100% ownership in Rocky Mountain Midstream Holdings LLC.

Drones Used to Improve Safety of Pipelines

(P&GJ) — There’s no way around it — infrastructure inspection is as risky and dangerous as it is vital. For the past few years, companies have begun experimenting with unmanned aerial systems (known as UAS, or drones) to help improve worker safety, among other benefits.

DIMP-Related Replacement Work Continues in U.S.

(P&GJ) — While the amount of work to replace cast-iron and bare-steel pipe has declined in volume – following the implementation of the Gas Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP) in 2009 – there is still plenty of construction left to be done.

Editor’s Notebook: Trouble in the Heartland

(P&GJ) — It seems that even CO2 pipelines — a centerpiece of the Biden administration’s net zero greenhouse gas reductions policy — can’t catch a break when it comes to getting out of the starting block where permitting and public opinion are concerned.

RSI Verifies Validation Results for Pipeline Tool

(P&GJ) — Plastometrex, a provider of advanced mechanical testing technologies, received a successful independent review of the pipeline validation testing data from its novel material verification tool.

Elliott Takes $1 Billion Stake in U.S. Pipeline Operator Phillips 66, Urges Board Revamp

Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is urging the U.S. oil refiner and pipeline operator to revamp its board to boost lagging performance.

Occidental in Talks to Buy Permian Producer CrownRock

Occidental Petroleum is one of the finalists in the auction for CrownRock, an energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, with a bid of more than $10 billion. ConocoPhillips, Diamondback Energy, Devon Energy, Marathon Oil and Continental Resources were also studying potential bids.

Cambodia Scraps Coal Power Project to Build Gas-Fired Plant, Import LNG

Cambodia has abandoned plans to build a $1.5 billion 700 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power project in a protected reserve along the southwestern coast and will build an 800 MW natural-gas fired plant instead, its energy minister told Reuters.

Europe Studies Mega-Projects for Piping CO2 Offshore

(P&GJ) — Belgian TSO Fluxys and Norway’s state oil and gas company Equinor are working on plans for a 620-mile (1,000-km) pipeline that could export CO2 from industrial clusters in Zeebrugge, Belgium to storage sites offshore Norway. An extension to industrial sites in the port of Dunkirk, France is also under consideration.

CEZ Books 2 Bcm Capacity at German LNG Terminal

Czech majority state-owned utility CEZ has agreed to book 2 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of annual capacity at the Stade LNG terminal in Germany from 2027, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Thursday.

Brazil Midstream Hopes for $20 Billion Infusion by 2028

(P&GJ) – The Brazil gas and pipelines sector hopes to attract about $20 billion in investments for its development by 2028, thanks to de-monopolization of the industry and the adoption of new legislation, according to recent statements, made by leading market participants and state analysts.

Full Production Restored at Chevron's Gorgon LNG Facility After Electrical Incident

Full production has returned to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) train at Chevron's Gorgon facility in Western Australia, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Balticconnector Gas Pipeline to Expand Transmission Capacity Post-Repair

The Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which was damaged last month, will get a bigger northbound transmission capacity next year following repairs, Finnish operator Gasgrid said in a statement on Wednesday.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Affects Seven Producers, Investigation Underway

U.S. officials said on Tuesday seven energy companies have been impacted by an oil discharge near Main Pass Oil Gathering Co.'s (MPOG) pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico that is estimated to have released more than a million gallons of crude oil.

US Paves the Way for a New Era in Hydrogen: Federal Funding Boosts Clean Hydrogen Initiatives

The Biden administration strengthened its support for clean hydrogen back in October by funding a range of proposed development hubs spread across the United States.

Wolf Carbon Solutions Initiates Withdrawal of Carbon Pipeline Application in Illinois

Wolf Carbon Solutions has moved to withdraw its permit application in Illinois to build a carbon capture pipeline that would transport as much as 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually to a storage site in the state, according to a company filing in the state regulatory commission docket.

US Coast Guard Investigates Source of 1.1 Million Gallons Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico from Underwater Pipeline

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil.